"My water just broke..."
These are the words that often accompany the beginning of labor. At this point the amniotic sac has ruptured and has released the fluid that cushioned all of us for the better part of forty weeks. With that said, the past two decades have shed some light on this fluid being more useful than acting as a mere shock absorber.
Researchers have come up with a way to harvest amniotic fluid stem cells(AFSCs) in about a minute and a half during C-sections without harming the mother and the child. These AFSCs may prove to be of clinical advantage for degenerative illnesses, fetal therapies as well as regenerative medical applications. The ease of procurement, ready availability and a relative lack of ethical issues associated with other stem cells sources (namely embryonic stem cells) has made AFSCs a go-to source for researchers.
Extracting the stem cells is done via a process called amniocentesis whereby, using a sterile 3-D printed device made from biologically inert plastics, doctors are able to gently and cautiously extract the fluid that is mostly regarded as a form of medical waste. The fluid is then run through a gauze filter and centrifuged to separate the stem cells which are then cultured.
The benefit of AFSCs over embryonic stem cells is that AFSCs are multi-potent meaning that the cells can differentiate into a specific cell type unlike embryonic stem cells which are pluri-potent meaning they have the capacity to differentiate into varying kinds of cells which could pose a problem for researchers.
This multi-potent trait of AFSCs makes their benefits limitless. Further evaluation of these cells is necessary and if successful then the cells can be used in disease models.